There is a growing need for improved components and systems for accommodating the distribution of electrical power along structures or in structures, including prefabricated office furniture, mobile homes, prefabricated homes, vehicles, aircraft, marine vessels, and the like. Examples of electrical systems provided in office furniture panels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,775, 4,688,869, 4,370,008, and 4,056,297. While these examples illustrate various features, additional or improved features are provided by the present invention.
An electrical power distribution system should desirably have the design flexibility and capability for being readily adaptable for use with, or for installation in, a variety of structures so as to be able to supply electrical power to a variety of electrical apparatus, components, or secondary distribution systems. Preferably, such a system should be substantially prewired and include components, such as holders for receptacles, which are movable and infinitely adjustable to selected positions along the system length.
It would be beneficial if such a system could be provided with an improved design facilitating fabrication in a modular format that accommodates the use of a number of identical components, or substantially similar components, which have a uniform length and width.
Such an improved system design should advantageously facilitate manufacturing, rapid and low cost installation, rapid re-arrangement of components in the field, relocation and interchangeability of components, retrofitting of the system, etc.
It would be desirable if such an improved system could be incorporated in a design that permits its manufacture, installation, and use with a minimum of quality control, inspection, and testing operations, and which requires few or no special tools.
Advantageously, an improved system should preferably employ a versatile design that is relatively narrow and which can accommodate mounting mechanisms for facilitating use of the system in a variety of different conventional structures, including in a variety of different office furniture panel products.
Preferably, the improved design should permit the system manufacturer to furnish the system to the customer or user in the form of partially assembled, or partially connected, sub-assemblies of various movable and releasable components. Thus, with respect to many of the components, the user or installer would need only to move some of the pre-assembled or pre-mounted components relative to other components, to desired locations as dictated by the particular field requirements.
It would also be desirable to provide the electrical distribution system with an improved terminal design in the components so that the components can be assembled with relatively low insertion forces in order to minimize the probability that an installer may improperly attempt to force components together.
Such an improved design should also provide sufficient electrical contact forces and a reliable electrical contact connection, as well as improved safety of operation. Advantageously, such an improved terminal design should also facilitate component disengagement by accommodating, or contributing to, the necessary removal or disengagement forces.
An improved system design should also permit the components to be fabricated in relatively small sizes, especially with respect to width and height dimensions, so as to minimize the required installation space. This would provide increased room or space for other components in a structure, such as in an office furniture panel. For example, such an improved electrical distribution system may be mounted along the bottom of an office furniture panel, and it may be desirable to ensure that there is sufficient space adjacent the electrical distribution system for accommodating communication wiring and other services.
It would also be advantageous if an electrical distribution system could accommodate removal or relocation of some components (e.g., receptacles) without disruption of power to the rest of the system. Further, the system should accommodate power supplied from a selected one of a variety of locations exterior of the system, and should accommodate branching of the system (e.g. branching to a plurality of connected office furniture panels).
The improved distribution system design should advantageously accommodate various voltage and current ranges. Further, the design should preferably have the capability for being supplied in one basic conductor configuration which can accommodate multiple circuit configuration alternatives. It would also be desirable for such a system to have the capability for accommodating many conductors without requiring excessively wide components so as to facilitate installation in relatively narrow structures (e.g., office furniture panels).
Another salutary feature of such an improved design would be the capability for mounting power input and output connectors (e.g., power tap assemblies) on either side of a structure (e.g., an office furniture panel) and for accommodating a back-to-back mounting of other components, such as receptacles.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved electrical power distribution system with a unique configuration to prevent more than one power feed connection to a group of conducting elements and to prevent removal of a power feed tap assembly. Such an improved system should preferably have a directional configuration so that power feeds or entry connections can never be inadvertently interconnected.
Additionally, it would be advantageous if such a system included movable power tap assemblies for the power feed and power outlet connectors, as well as receptacles, so as to permit the use of a standard, single-length, flexible, connector jumper cable assembly between modules to accommodate variation in module spacing and to permit slack to be taken up between closely spaced modules. This would be particularly advantageous for use with office furniture panel systems having differing inter-panel spacing dimensions.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved electrical power distribution system with a mechanical interlock system, keying system, or mechanical polarization system for ensuring that components are properly installed and engaged, as well as to prevent improper orientation of components and to prevent removal of certain components.
It would be beneficial if such an improved system could be provided in designs specifically suitable for a variety of environments, including office furniture panel products. Such an electrical power distribution system should preferably include a rigid frame and have the capability for being provided with an integral ground circuit which can be electrically contacted directly by the movable, attachable components such as power tap assemblies, receptacle holders, etc.
Further, such an improved system design should preferably have the capability for employing elongated connecting elements to accommodate movable, engageable power tap assemblies that do not rely on friction clamping for maintaining electrical contact and that require only a minimum amount of force for engagement, disengagement, and relocation.
It would be desirable to provide components for use with such an improved system which could be adapted to securely, safely, and releasably hold or otherwise engage conventional electrical devices, including conventional outlet receptacles.
Further, it would be advantageous to provide an improved design with the capability for accommodating, where desired, a directional power design involving multiple circuits with one, and preferably two, grounds.
The present invention provides improved electrical power distribution system components which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.